


Walls Collapsing

by LordFlausch



Series: araignée du soir [1]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Combat, Earthquakes, F/F, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Implied/Referenced Suicide attempt, Medical Care, Saving Beloved People, Secret Crush
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-01
Updated: 2017-05-01
Packaged: 2018-10-26 13:01:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,219
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10787238
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LordFlausch/pseuds/LordFlausch
Summary: An abadoned town during an earthquake. A combat between Overwatch and Talon. A young woman with a never-forgotten crush. A decision that has to stay her secret.





	Walls Collapsing

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, yes, I will write on my other fanfics soon. I just recently discovered there is this... this... goddess of a woman, aka Widowmaker, and just had to write something for her.  
> Also, the Reader's thoughts are, as such, written in first person perspective and inverse.

You don't know how it had happened, or why, and you can't pinpoint the exact second it has started, but this abandoned town is turning into rubble. And not quite gradually.  
Because apparently, a goddamn minor earthquake has decided to commence. Now. And the two teams have up to this moment not thought of actually stopping the fight to retreat, which is why you are currently hiding behind a wall, a stairway to the roof of a house behind you and some Talon agents determined to kill you in front of said wall, firing at you. Only occasionally you manage to fire back once or twice, but always with at least a hit to one of their bodies. The situation is rather hopeless and, well, it isn't like it's getting worse due to all the houses being at the brink to collapse.  
In fact, some of them are already collapsing.  


“Fall back! We may be able to stand against Talon, but definitely not the power of nature itself!”, you can hear via comlink, and a sigh of relief leaves your lips and you look for an opening between the bullets fired at you that would allow you to get somewhere safe as fast as possible. Up until then, you eye your chances of escape, which are actually limited to the stairs behind you. “Could get a little late with me.”, you say through gritted teeth, “Those damn agents are hindering my chances to escape.” - “Need any help, love?”, Tracer's voice chirps into your ear, and you cannot help but smile to her seemingly neverending enthusiasm. “Nah, it's too risky.”, you decline, not wanting any of your friends to die because of a try to help you. “You sure?” - “Yes. Go save yourselves, I'll be fine.” - “But tell if you're in danger, will you?” - “Promise.”  
The button in your ear falls silent, and you focus on the bullets hitting the wall behind you while the ground shakes in turmoil. Suddenly, the firing stops and you hear footsteps hurrying away. Could it be they are going? That Talon also ordered them to fall back to get somewhere safe? Cautiously, you spy over the wall and are greeted with an empty street. They are gone. Finally.

Without losing any time, you hurry up the flight of stairs onto the roof, and quickly figure out where your team must be waiting for you, immediately starting to run over the tops of the houses to get there, a thing greatly affected by the rubble lying around and the ground shaking, yet the adrenaline rushes through your body when you jump, when you dodge falling pieces from the larger buildings and when you have to stop because the entire building you're on is rumbling too hard for you to move on.  
Your way soon is blocked by three rather large houses in a row... or no, more like the town hall with three towers. Impressing architecture indeed, but not very sturdy, as you see that they are already starting to break in certain places. Dammit. They are the fastest way to get where you wanted to, but running on the ground, in between them, doesn't seem like a wise option. Suddenly, another idea enters your head, one you would probably be scolded for once you were back, claiming you as an idiot tired of life, but there really seems no other good choice.  
You go a few steps back for startup, then run and fly over the gap between the building you're on and one of the towers, managing to get yourself in a suitable position before breaking through a window and rolling off on one of the hallways. “Lucky that was no bathroom.”, you mutter to yourself, then sprint along it to get up on the roof. The view should provide a better sight on your destination and the way there, and also on the state of the town you all were in. Luckily, the concept of the town hall is fairly easy, and as a bonus, there are small you-are-here maps of the house in almost every corridor you run along, making going upwards a lot easier.  
When you are on the top level, the building itself seems to moan and with shock, looking out of one of the windows, you notice one tower crashing, starting to fall slowly, faster with passing time, and with a tremor, hitting the ground. “Fuck.”, is the only thing you can say before the windows crash due to the blast, the air getting cloudy with smoke and you getting flung into a wall, air pressed out of your lungs and glass shards cutting your body in various places.

“____, ARE YOU OKAY?!”  
“DAMMIT, ____?!”  
“PLEASE TELL US YOU'RE ALIVE!”  
Three of your teammates' voices awake your comlink, and you groan in pain and inhale sharply. “I'm... not good. But I'll... be coming.” - “Where are you?!” - “Near... the crash. Got... flung into a... wall. But keep... the fuck... out of here... Stay where you are.”, you order, “I do not want... any of you... possibly getting killed.” - “What is with you?” - “One casualty's... better than more.” - “You won't make it on your own!” - “I've survived and fought... in way harder circumstances. Give me... 20 minutes.” - “Okay. But if you aren't there then, love, I'll personally come get you.”, Tracer says determined. “Deal.”, you say and get up again, examining the damage.

A cut on your cheek, one on your right arm. Both not very deep. A few scrapes on your legs and arms, almost not worth the mention. The deepest wound is on your left ribcage, blood oozing from it as you start walking. Hell, that hurts. Sighing, you take the medical kit from your bag and cover the gash as fast and good as possible, though the fast really is the more important fact here, so you end up just placing a large band-aid over it. “Gotta do.”, you mutter and start running again, the clouded air making it harder to see – yet it isn't that bad up here as you imagine it being on levels further down – and the pain slowing you down, but with a growl, you ignore it.  
As you expected, the door to the roof is locked, but a quick blast of your weapon solves that problem, and you step out in the open quite fast. The damage the tower has done is overwhelming. Rubble is almost everywhere, and you even manage to see some legs sticking out from under a stone, a lot of blood covering the area below. “Fuck.”, you whisper. No one, not even a Talon agent, deserves to die like this. To this distance, you cannot even make out whether it is one of them or yours. The blood is red like with all human beings, and the clothes are so covered in dirt you can't tell their colour. You avert your gaze and decide to look for your way to the base then. It doesn't seem very far away, and the way shouldn't be very hard. The houses on the sides of the streets are-

Something shiny catches your eyes, reflecting the sunlight to them. You try to get in a better position to see it, but no success. Maybe a survivor that spotted you, caught somewhere, desperate for help? You shortly debate with yourself before jumping off the roof towards it. It isn't a long fall in particular, and the remains of the tower make a fairly good track to jump to the next house, where you locate the shiny object again. It seems like... pink?  
You shrug and move over there, and as you set foot on the building, you spot what lies there seems humanoid in shape, albeit covered in a lot of dirt, and definitely unconscious. The earth shakes again, the second of the three towers collapsing. The air gets cloudy another time, and without thought, you jump over to the human lying there, wrapping yourself around the upper body to protect it from damage and the dirt, covering your own mouth with your arm and crouching your head lower to ensure you won't get hit by stones.

“____, you okay?” - “Yeah. No need to come.”, you respond when the air is clearer and you can see a bit more again. You unwrap yourself from the body on the ground, and take a look to examine it.

 _HOLY._  
_FUCKING._  
_CRAP._  
Lying beside you is no one else but Widowmaker.

You stumble away from the unmoving figure, covering your face with your hands. What are you supposed to do now? Taking her? Leaving her? Getting her somewhere safe? Killing her? “Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck.”, you say, moving your fingers so you could spy through them. She's still unconscious. A wound on her head, a bit of her cold blood smeared on your hands and fingers. One of her legs is stuck beneath a piece of a wall, and obviously not fine. Some of her blood is visible there as well. Her rifle is lying beside her, one of her hands holding it. Cuts and some bruises adorn the tattoo on her arm, and her beautiful face.

 _Wait, what?_  
_Beautiful?_

Okayokay, she IS a magnificent woman, strong, graceful and yes, beautiful, but your gayness showing in such a moment is fairly impractical. You shake your head and focus your gaze again.

Her clothing is torn in various places, some of her muscular midriff and slender legs being shown...

 _WHY? THIS IS NO MOMENT FOR ME TO THINK ABOUT HOW HOT SHE IS!_  
…

It seems like there are some cuts beneath the ripped clothing. You kneel beside her to examine closer. They seem not very deep, at least that's something. You switch your eyes to her face again. There is a cut over her left eye, one on her right cheek. Her lips are slightly parted, and the lower lip is wounded, some blood oozing out there as well.

_Imagine licking the blood away, kissing those seemingly so soft lips, feeling them move against my own, tongue on tongue, teeth biting playfully, her hands roaming my body while I pull her closer to feel hers, one of her legs between mine and-_

“OH GOSH NO! STOP IT!”, you yell in frustration. Fantasising is okay per se, but not under circumstances like this!

_Focus. What will I do now? Killing her is not an option. I couldn't manage in this state. Leaving her here..._

Images of earlier flood your head. Widowmaker, crushed beneath a stone. Hair around her head, her arm sticking out, still clutching her rifle, blood coming out from under the debris, gradually increasing in quantity...

_No. Leaving her here is no option, either. No one deserves that kind of death, and I would feel forever guilty that I could have saved her... that means only taking her somewhere safe or with me is remaining as choices._

If you'd take her to Overwatch... they'd lock her away and try getting her back to normal. If that wouldn't be possible, she'd be killed off. Talon would attack to get her back, how many would die? And after a while, how many would continue to die for her? You sigh. Seems like taking her somewhere safe is the only way. But where is 'somewhere safe' here? Your base would be, but one of the buildings, or an empty space, or -  
The Talon base. That is the only place left. Going there with her would mean a delay of probably clearly over 25 minutes, possibly up to an hour. Nothing you could manage until they would come looking for you. Damn... you sigh almost desperately and lower your head, spotting her again. Unconscious. Unmoving. Helpless. Forgotten. You had to try. You take out your gun and aim at the boulder on her leg in a way she wouldn't be hit, and shoot a good piece off of it, lifting it off of her leg after that and examining the damage. A few cuts. Definitely broken. The bone poking out at one point.

Growling, you jump through a hole in the roof, down into the house and find a laundry rack soon. Not perfect, but it will have to do the job. After breaking it and taking away two of the thicker stacks, you look for a medical kit in here and find one soon. Not much left in there, mostly expired in date, but they fit the use you have for them. With everything gathered in your hands, you jump up again, placing the stacks next to her leg and using the expired bandages to produce a makeshift splint before securing the bone, then wetting another of the house's bandages to clean the wound, treating it so it is decently aided, then taking care of the other cuts on her body, washing and disinfecting all and covering them with bandages and band-aids from your own kit, then taking your water bottle, drinking a sip from it.

You sigh and look at her again, a soft and caring smile on your lips. “Amélie...”, you whisper gently, remembering the woman you once had a small crush on back when she was with Overwatch all those years ago. But who had not crushed on her back then? She had been beautiful, kind and humorous, the slightest of smiles always playing on her features, her eyes so magnificent one could have stared in them for hours. Her laugh had made your heart melt, her style had fitted her perfect body completely, her accent made shivers run down your spine and when she had truly smiled, it felt like there was no reason for a bad thing to be in this world. You had never talked a lot to her, always kinda too shy, rather admiring her from the distance. When she had become engaged, you suppressed your crush, smiling at her on the wedding ceremony, holding a handmade figure of a guardian angel as decoration for her new home as a small gift for her.  
You had wanted her to be happy, and she had become. Until she had been ripped away. The most devastating day of your life, was the day when Amélie Lacroix had been kidnapped. Sure, she was back after a while, but not really. Your feelings had boiled up so much back then that you almost hugged her when you saw her again. But you hadn't done it. Gerard had been the one for her. Not you, although you had wanted so much to be in his place when she came back. His overjoyed expression when he had seen her again had depicted what you had felt. The tiniest of tears had escaped you then, overjoyed she was closer again, sad she was out of reach.  
And when Gerard was found dead and she presumed to be kidnapped again, you had still not lost hope. And then, she had been presumed dead one day, and that was the day you had broken. You had given the fault to yourself. If you had said something, anything... if she had been yours instead of Gerard's... then she might not be dead. Some scars on your arms tell the tale of the hate and disgust for yourself that had ruled inside so long. Tracer was the one who had saved you from suicide... only to confirm she was alive, yet irreversibly changed.  
And then, your hate for Talon had awoken. THEY had done this. THEY had put her through this. And THEY had taken the one you loved. So you trained as hard as you could, your determination rising with every day to make them pay. Your scars are covered in armour now. Your weapon isn't there to kill yourself now, but THEM. The first time you had seen her then, it was the shock of your life to see. Her skin was blue, not that beautiful peachy hue. Her eyes were the same yet not. All warmth was gone, lost forever. Just as her.

And yet your feelings had kept there, always remaining beneath the surface, no wonder you are caring so much now. With a soft smile, you kneel down next to her and take her up in your arms. Cold, yet surprisingly light. You take her rifle and strap it to your back.  


_I must be completely insane. I save my enemy, and I take her gun with me so I can leave it with her. Wow. What a lovesick puppy I am._

With a small chuckle, you sprint across the rooftops. From the strategy your team had discussed prior to the battle, you know where their base is. And you run as fast as possible, knowing there is not much time left. Probably 10 minutes or so, clearly not enough to get there, her down and Talon alerted to her presence, and back again. You might manage to get there in 10 minutes, yet that was probably just wishful thinking.

The second you have passed the town hall, the third tower collapses. Timing hated you today, it seems. You cradle her closer against yourself, hoping to outrun the rubble falling. You manage getting into a small, compact house when it crashes down fully, fogging the air and shaking everything. You place Widowmaker on a couch and cover her and your mouth simultaneously, protecting her body with your own as far as possible.

The comlink awakes. “Ya know, darlin'. Ya've not much time left.” - “I know. And I'm afraid that tower just blocked my way, so I will have to take a longer one. Besides, the earthquake seems to have subsided, so I guess there'll be no need to save me.” - “Guess that's plausible. Just, make sure ya'll be here soon. I mean, we're all hella worried.” - “I'm good, okay? Just need to take the long way.” - “Be safe, love!”, Tracer says, and shaking your head, you promise her.

You turn around to look for a way out, leaving her lie on the sofa, and it seems the back door is an option, since you can open it with not too much hardships, slipping through and clearing the area a bit. Climbing up there will sure be tough, but you get an idea quickly. Back in the house, you look for the first aid kit and find none, then for some ropes or just anything, and when you find nothing, you sigh and take a knife to cut some bedsheets into stripes and others into pieces, fastening and knotting them so that Widowmaker could be on your back like a mixture of backpack and piggyback ride, ensuring your arms to be free. Before you secure her into it, you look at her form again, sighing softly. She is still so beautiful... You stroke her cheek gently and remember her gun is still on your back. Chuckling, you take it off and strap it to her body instead, where it belongs, and place her onto your back then. Cold, yes. But it still feels somewhat nice.

You take another sip from your water bottle before going out through the back door, then you climb up the rubble and onto the roofs again, starting to run, which is a lot easier with your arms free from carrying her in them. You just hope she doesn't get shaken awake now, since that would result in a possibly very uncomfortable situation, being her gun is clearly within her reach now. Chuckling, you place your steps a little softer and take care you don't move her body around too much.  
After a while, you stop for a second to orientate yourself. The Talon base is in sight, and you shouldn't go on for too long now, but instead place her somewhere and alert the agents to her presence. You climb off of the rooftops carefully, moving across a few streets slowly, cautiously, before coming to a stop on a square with a once beautiful fountain that is now a lot more broken. You chuckle softly, as that describes a bit of her and yourself as well. You cut the straps on your body, lowering her to the ground carefully, placing her gun beside her and throwing the once-bedsheets aside into a small house with a broken door. Then, you lower your eyes to her and crouch down at her side, tasting the words you would say now for a second. Words you had always wanted to say to her.

“Je t'aime, Amélie.”, you whisper gently before kissing her cheek and getting up again, taking your gun out and shooting into the air before hurrying onto the rooftops again and taking a second to observe whether she was taken care of. After a few seconds have passed, you spot a few Talon agents accompanied by a girl with a somewhat neon-coloured dress... Sombra. You had met her in battle occasionally. She almost yells in joy to seeing Widowmaker, checking her for injuries but only finding the treated ones.  
The raven-haired woman looks around as if searching for the one who brought her, and her eyes lock with yours shining in the shadows of one of the buildings, and she takes a closer look as if to estimate whether she is really looking into a pair of orbs or just imagining things. You lean a tiny bit to the front, so she can see your silhouette but not anything that may give away who you are, and nod slowly. She nods back, and you take it as a signal your beloved one is safe, and step further into the house again, looking at Widowmaker again for a last time, and turn around to leave then. Your job is done. Amélie is in good hands.

You exit through the window and run either in the cover of the houses or on the streets below so no one could spot you while you are basically in Talon's territory, but as soon as you enter a place where they definitely cannot see you anymore, you leave the safe routes and take shorter, yet riskier ones. 

“I'm almost there.”, you say into your comlink. “Took you long enough.”, the answer comes, and you just chuckle a bit in response and speed up a bit.

Some rubble scratches your legs, but you ignore it. The joy of saving a beloved combined with the adrenaline of running is too exciting to be pissed at that comment.  
Tracer is the first to spot you, and her face twists into a mask of shock when she examines you and zaps up to the place you are. “Is something on my face?”, you ask, and she shakes her head and points to your side. You look down and spot a massive stain of blood on your side. “Oh...”, you mutter before you realise how much you must've lost. The shocked faces of your team is the last thing you see before your world fades to black.

\---

You wake up in the medical station, and a nurse comes in when you ring for her. “Good, you are awake.”, she says, relieved. “What happened...?” - “You had a massive gash on your ribcage and lost a good amount of blood. Also, you have minor cuts almost everywhere else, and some bruises, and some dirt in your lungs, but we could heal everything. You're healthy again." - “Thank you...”, you whisper, and she smiles. “Can I let your friend in?” - “Hm?” - “Lena Oxton. Tracer. She's waiting for you.” - “Oh, really?” - “Yes.” - “Then, please, let her in.” She chuckles, and heads out.  
Only seconds later, your friend zaps in. “Morning, love!”, she chirps, and you can do nothing but chuckle. “Heya. What happened?” - “We were all pretty worried, but everything's fine now.” - “Glad to hear.” - “I have a bone to pick with you, love.”, she grins, and you raise an eyebrow questioningly. “From where you were, it would have taken you maximum 20 minutes to get to us, maybe 30 if you add the injury. Why did you need almost two hours?” - “One of the towers locked me in a small house.”  


The lie glides off of your tongue smoothly, as it is a part of the truth. You had been stuck with Widowmaker indeed and made the straps to carry her. “Then why didn't you call us?” You stare at her, dumbfounded, and decide to go for an entire lie that would refrain her from asking further. “I- I kinda had a breakdown there.”, you say. Lying is easy. You had lied so often in the time when Amélie had been kidnapped and presumed dead. Tracer's face twists in pain, and for a second, you feel hurt that you had to do this. But telling the truth is no option. Widowmaker is her nemesis, and saying you saved her would be devastating to your reputation. Although she knows that you once had feelings for Amélie Lacroix and became an agent to avenge her.  
“I'm sorry...”, Tracer mutters. “I should have been there for you.” - “It's okay. Really.” - “Promise that all of the wounds are from the glass shards at the explosion?” You nod. At least that is the truth. You lean up and hug her, and she hugs back. 

What really had happened that day... would remain your secret for a long time.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you liked it, says the author who never played Overwatch and has her knowledge from hours of reading lore and fanfictions and watching animated shorts.  
> If you would appreciate it, I'd be glad to write a sequel one day.  
> Up until then, my greatest pleasure would be that you are content with what I wrote.  
> Have a good day/night!


End file.
